by -Matt Cexwish-

Hi Di Ho!

A good Month has passed since my very first completely Self-organized Basing Workshop in my Home City, Berlin, and I finally found some time to write a thing or two about this very rewarding Weekend... :)...

First of all: Why organizing a Base Building Workshop? Because a Base still is the Backbone that holds most Miniature Projects together... I don´t necessarily mean this simply in the straight forward way of saying that you will need a base to glue your Miniature to (you will need it for this, too...;)... A Good Base really makes the difference in every Miniature Project since it transports a Huge Portion of the Story, sets the Atmosphere, Gives us something to discover and truly challenges us to watch and think about many things around us (Construction) or in our minds (Imagination)...

From my Experience, People in our Art and Craft often struggle to achieve exactly the brilliant or very personal Ideas they carry around their minds... Some have big Plans and start out very enthusiastically without even noticing all the boundaries they set onto their Projects right from the beginning, only to end up being frustrated if the result doesn´t meet their expectation... Only with careful and honest analysis, reference and plans they will be able to see, what exactly they see as given (as the first step)... To continue to develop their Ideas and finally overcome the Boundaries of their Minds... To truly achieve to display something that has been stuck in their dreams and to share it with the World...

In the Presentation that I use to start my Workshop out I show a Picture of a colourful Train that is joyfully de-railing over the Edge of the flat "Earth"... This is exactly, what I want my Students to do... Overcome what they think is possible, to merrily derail into the Unknown and Impossible... I wanted them to Sketch up their personal Vision, then to develop this initial Idea by using some of my Techniques (Creativity and Developing Techniques) and then to execute that Vision as diligently as possible...

However, there was also a Plan B for those, who would find it difficult to accept a free floating Train as their Guide on their way to learning how to build a proper and nice looking base: The more Standartized, Dice Box Base Method... This Method utilizes a Standard Dice Box and a more straight forward Way of Construction, even though it is supposely more limiting to what can be build (actually, I was proven differently as some of the Dice Box Bases turned out extremely Creative and Visionary...)...

So, how well was everything achieved on the First Workshop? I would say fairy well! If I look back at the Bases the Students built I cannot help myself but be VERY proud of the courage and efford all of them have decided to put into this, reaching far beyond their own comfort Zone...

Let me write something of the Projects that I currently have Photos of and remember as something
unusual (although all of them were absolutely unique, great, marvelous,
cool, important... and much more, of course, of course...:)...)...

This Project here, for example, was build by someone who started out with the Idea to build a Base that displayed a Fire Fighter (a personal choice, his Grandfather saved a lot of Kittens from trees when he was a younger age :D)... After using some of my Idea Developing Techniques, he decided to focus on the Fire Hydrant and an adjacent Sidewalk / Sewer... He has build a TINY folded Paper Ship that was taken by the flowing Water... Frankly, I did not forsee the Student to come up with such a poetic Idea so fast... He also told me that he surprised himself quite a lot with how much energy he developed in order to finish this Beautiful little Scene (still WIP before painting, hope to get the Finished Pics from him later)...;)...

Then there was Siggi´s Base, that I remember very well... I really loved the Idea of a Base that stands completely by itself, telling a Story to those, who are prepared to observe, think and listen... Siggi had the Idea of a Huge Meteroid Shard that has hit the Ground a long time ago and that was reconquered by Nature in form of a single, young tree at the tip of the celestial visitor...This Base opened so many topics (Ancient Vs. New, Stoic Vs. Dynamic Clash, Formerly Energetic Vs. Now Powerless... etc.) and incorporated a very unusual section that I really liked the result...

Then, also Paul´s Base, a very stylish interpretation of a great, abstract narrative: A Weary Warrior is sleeping in a cave after a long Battle... While he might be safe from his foes, his destiny is overshadowed by the dark Omen that is the Cave itself... It resembles the Huge Maw of a Dangerous Creature about to devour the Brave Warrior (still to be found as a Miniature...)...

You see that the Stories behind those Bases are really exciting and interesting... I hope, that the Students chose to finish their Projects up with the same passion they had displayed during those three amazing Days and that we will soon see some Photos of the Finished Versions on here...:)...

Something about the Venue... The Battlefield Berlin Store is the perfect place for Workshops... It´s a bit like Candy Land for Children (Children with a lot of money that is, hahaha), since you can buy everything you need for creating Miniatures, Bases, whole Worlds from all Major Miniature Companies actually... The Guys at Battlefield made a huge efford to help with the Organisation and Preparations... Many, many thanks for allowing us to work and develop our Visions there! Since a lot of Material was needed by every Participant, a lot of space is needed...

I will leave you with some impressions of the three Days... Please let me know if you would like to see us somewhere near you in the Future and we will certainly consider traveling to you, so you can also become part of your own exciting Journey...:)...

Some examples of the Bases shortly before painting...Very happy to see that some people left their comfort Zone and tried some Free Form Bases, too!

These Sketches were drawn bymy Friend Gus that came all the way from the United Kingdom to learn how to make Bases out of everything he drew... Amazing Visions and absolutely stunning Enviorments Gus has completed in a couple of hours... His Sketchbook is simply wonderful! I can´t wait to see all the things he will come up with in the next couple of years... Just imagine... Every Sketch a potential (and very interesting) Story and thus Base by itself...

The Group and some Weird Ape climbing the Winterly Walls!

Thanks to all Students, the Battlefield Staff, Ben, Micha, Fabian, Gerhard... And most importantly to the cutest, bravest Girlfriend in the Universe for making Slate Rocks at 3 am for everyone to be ready for the next Day... :*...

really cool review and very creative results of the participants. Well done, matey!

Honestly, first I was a little disturbed when I saw you announcing that class as I remembered back the phone call we had last year where I told you about my own upcoming basing workshop concept.

It is good to see that your class turned out to be very unique in its own and the details about my concept that I told you where not used. You really have a unique approach on that and I appreciate it a lot as do the participants - I can see that from the results. Your class and the impressions I got from the reviews are truely cool and I enjoy every report about it ... let there be more!

And we both don't worry about the two of us doing basing classes - we aim for different goals and I think both classes will complete one another. I hope to get the chance to take part in one of your classes one day.

Thanks, Big Kong! :) Needless to say that you will be a most Welcome Special Guest or we might simply partner up and give one together... I don't plan to make this a regular thing, surely not every month... Way too exhausting...

A really well written review of a successful workshop dedicated to something I do not really like doing - basing. However, after reading this and seeing all the photos I think I will have change my priorities and focus on the base.Cheers,Piotrek

IF Matt ever should do another basing workshop in your neighboorhood, you should DEFINITELY go there! btw: My meteroid is finished. At leats I used your hints about the plants and growing stuff on the base. That one was one of the most important details from the workshop for me. Easy to handle, and great effects! Thanks!

That is a really wonderful idea for a workshop! Developing skills while growing the artistic vision of the attendees is a fantastic project. Basing and groundwork are frequently afterthoughts for many modelers so this class is a valuable educational tool.

I am sytarting on the hobby at this stage and still have a few questions regarding tecniches. I saw people carving something to create a base? Is that right? What are those materials? I didnt uderstand also the "Dice Box Base Method"... I try to gloogle it but didnt find anything usefull. could you please tell me a bit more about it or share a link? Thank you! You and the whole website are trully inspiration to me!

Regarding the "Dice Box Base Method"... It´s a technique, that is not yet published on the Internet or elsewhere as it has just been invented by my dear Friend Ben Komets (as far as I know)... You are cordially invited to visit an upcoming Basing Workshop, but I cannot really tell when the next will be held... If you give me your eMail I will let you know! :)

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